AREAS OF IMPACT

Modern Slavery

TrustLaw supports leading anti-slavery organisations by connecting them with some of the world’s best lawyers, who provide them with free legal assistance and sharp tools for advocacy in the form of authoritative legal research.

Modern slavery is a crime most often hidden from view, and conviction rates are extremely low. TrustLaw works with its NGO and law firm members to map how existing laws are being used to counter modern slavery, and recommend what more needs to be done to combat this crime.

International and domestic laws already exist to address various aspects of modern slavery, including human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage. However, these laws are often imperfectly applied or difficult to enforce.

Our legal research programmes explore common trafficking and slavery scenarios across multiple countries, and look at the laws that apply to each. Our law firm members create tools to help frontline NGOs and lawyers secure more prosecutions, combat the culture of impunity for traffickers, and deliver justice for victims of trafficking and slavery.

Forced Labour and Supply Chain Transparency

The production of goods and services has become increasingly fragmented as a result of globalisation. As such, nearly every multinational corporation will be exposed to the risk of forced labour and human trafficking in its supply chain.

How do we protect this workforce from dangerous and exploitative working conditions which, in some cases, amount to modern slavery? Research conducted on behalf of our NGO members compares the legal frameworks of multiple countries to see how they have tackled this complex problem and promoted higher standards in corporate conduct and supply chain transparency.

Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery

Human trafficking is defined as people being moved either within countries or across international borders for the purposes of exploitation. While prosecutions alone will not bring an end to trafficking, there is huge potential in using legal strategies to deliver justice to victims, deter potential perpetrators and put traffickers out of business.

TrustLaw’s work with NGOs in this area addresses the multiple crimes connected to human trafficking, including forced labour, sex slavery or prostitution, forced organ removal, and domestic servitude. It also identifies available solutions and avenues for obtaining compensation for survivors.